A
true
,
strange
,
and
wonderful
Narrative
of
the
Delusion
of
the
Devil
at
a
late
Quakers
Meeting
,
on
one
John
Thurston
of
Kendal
in
Westmoreland
,
&c.
SIR
,
TO
satisfie
your
scruple
as
to
the
Truth
and
Credit
of
this
following
Relation
,
I
had
as
much
as
this
amounts
to
from
Thurston
himself
,
and
the
Minister
of
the
Parish
affirmed
the
Particulars
of
it
.
My
house
is
in
Browns
Court
in
Crutchet-Friers
,
London
,
and
my
name
is
William
Robinson
.
IN
May
last
1678
,
at
Kendal
in
Westmoreland
,
one
John
Thurston
who
was
very
desirous
to
associate
himself
with
the
Quakers
at
their
Meetings
,
and
speaking
with
one
of
them
about
it
,
he
much
incouraged
him
to
hold
on
his
Purpose
;
and
accordingly
he
went
to
them
,
when
their
present
Speaker
whose
drift
was
to
deny
all
Ministerial
Teaching
and
Ordinances
,
together
with
all
notional
knowledge
gained
by
the
use
of
such
means
,
and
to
become
as
if
they
never
learned
any
thing
;
and
now
to
be
taught
of
God
within
themselves
,
by
waiting
upon
an
inward
Light
,
which
(
as
he
said
)
lies
low
hidden
under
the
Earth
,
viz.
the
Old
man
which
is
of
the
Earth
,
earthly
.
Thurston
was
immediately
so
taken
with
this
kind
of
Doctrine
,
that
he
resolved
to
close
with
them
;
was
afraid
to
read
any
good
Books
,
to
hear
any
Preaching-Minister
,
or
to
call
to
remembrance
any
thing
which
he
had
f●rmerly
learned
concerning
God
,
Christ
,
his
own
Estate
,
or
any
other
subject
contained
in
the
Scripture
.
One
of
them
told
him
,
that
Christ
was
as
man
,
had
his
failings
,
distrusted
God
;
and
many
other
blasphemous
words
.
At
his
next
meeting
,
the
Speaker
urged
him
to
take
up
the
Cross
daily
,
saying
,
Carry
the
Cross
all
day
,
and
it
will
keep
thee
at
night
.
He
urged
him
to
hearken
to
a
Voice
within
him
;
spoke
much
of
a
Light
within
them
.
Which
Thurston
not
yet
finding
,
was
much
troubled
,
desiring
that
he
might
fall
into
quaking
,
thinking
thereby
he
should
attain
to
the
immediate
discoveries
of
God
to
him
.
And
accordingly
shortly
after
as
he
was
walking
in
his
Chamber
,
he
began
to
quake
so
extreamly
,
that
he
could
not
stand
,
but
fell
upon
his
bed
,
where
he
howled
and
cried
in
a
terrible
manner
,
yet
was
he
not
afraid
,
but
look'd
upon
it
as
the
pangs
of
the
New
birth
.
After
half
an
hour
,
by
degrees
,
he
ceased
from
howling
,
and
rejoyced
that
now
he
could
witness
against
the
Ministers
of
England
,
as
false
Prophets
and
Priests
of
Baal
.
All
the
Night
after
,
he
was
much
troubled
with
Dreams
about
his
Sins
,
and
when
he
awaked
,
he
perceived
s●mething
lighting
on
his
Neck
,
and
giving
him
a
great
stroak
which
caused
much
pa●n
,
and
so
a
second
,
third
,
and
fourth
,
each
less
then
other
,
descending
till
it
came
to
the
middle
of
his
Back
,
and
then
he
discerned
something
to
enter
into
his
Body
,
and
he
thought
he
heard
a
Voice
within
him
saying
,
It
is
day
,
addding
twice
,
As
sure
as
it's
light
,
so
surely
shall
Christ
give
thee
light
.
Two
or
three
days
after
,
he
still
waited
for
more
Light
,
and
walking
into
a
field
,
he
lay
down
with
his
Face
to
the
Earth
,
at
which
time
his
right
hand
began
extreamly
to
shake
,
and
he
was
in
a
great
rapture
of
joy
,
then
did
the
power
within
,
raise
him
and
set
him
on
his
Feet
,
and
afterwards
layd
him
on
his
Back
,
brought
his
Sins
into
his
remembrance
,
causing
his
Hand
at
every
Sin
,
to
strike
the
ground
,
and
he
heard
a
voyce
saying
,
Now
is
such
a
Sin
mortified
;
then
was
he
perswaded
that
all
his
Sins
were
mortified
at
once
:
Then
rose
he
up
,
and
a
voice
asked
him
,
What
he
would
from
Heaven
,
and
it
should
be
●iven
him
▪
then
said
Thurston
,
what
shall
I
ask
?
It
was
answered
,
Ask
Wisdom
in
the
first
place
,
he
did
so
,
it
was
answered
,
That
his
request
was
granted
,
and
that
he
should
be
endowed
with
the
gift
of
Prophecy
.
Presently
after
,
he
went
to
another
of
their
Meetings
,
where
the
same
person
was
again
the
Speaker
,
with
which
he
was
more
affected
than
formerly
,
for
that
as
he
conceited
,
he
could
inwardly
witness
to
what
he
spake
;
after
him
another
spake
,
in
the
time
of
whose
speaking
,
Thurston
was
drawn
out
of
his
Chair
,
and
thrown
upon
the
ground
,
where
he
l●y
all
night
,
all
which
time
,
his
Body
and
Members
were
all
in
a
kind
of
Epi●eptical
motion
;
being
turned
from
his
back
on
his
belly
,
and
so
back
again
several
times
,
making
crosses
with
his
Legs
and
his
Hands
,
moving
on
the
ground
as
if
he
had
been
writing
,
and
●e
heard
a
voice
saying
,
That
that
writing
with
his
hand
on
the
ground
,
signified
the
writing
of
the
Law
in
his
heart
,
then
were
his
hands
moved
to
his
head
,
and
he
said
that
he
heard
a
voyce
,
Christ
in
thee
,
which
words
he
was
compelled
to
sing
forth
in
a
strange
manner
,
and
with
such
a
voice
as
was
not
his
own
▪
then
it
seemed
that
some
Spirit
raised
him
up
,
and
bid
him
be
humble
,
then
brought
him
on
his
knees
again
,
and
he
heard
the
voyce
saying
,
Stoop
low
,
low
,
and
when
his
face
was
almost
at
the
ground
,
it
said
to
him
,
Take
up
thy
Cross
,
and
follow
me
,
then
rising
,
he
was
led
out
of
the
house
by
the
Devil
at
a
Back
door
to
the
River
,
and
back
again
,
and
then
into
the
Town
,
where
he
was
drawn
down
the
street
to
a
door
,
but
he
knew
not
where
;
whereupon
two
of
them
that
followed
him
said
,
Whither
will
you
go
?
This
is
the
Fidlers
house
;
Thurston
answered
,
be
it
whose
house
it
will
,
I
am
led
hither
,
and
hither
I
must
go
,
then
was
his
hand
forced
to
knock
at
the
door
,
and
the
Voice
bad
him
say
,
Behold
,
Christ
stands
at
the
door
and
knocks
.
The
Fidler
opening
the
door
,
he
went
in
,
and
taking
down
a
Fiddle
,
he
was
forced
to
play
on
it
and
to
dance
;
whereupon
he
questioned
what
p●wer
led
him
to
such
actions
:
and
the
Voice
presently
answered
him
,
This
is
not
because
I
love
Musick
for
I
hate
it
,
but
to
signifie
to
thee
what
joy
there
is
in
Heaven
at
thy
Conversions
as
also
what
Spiritual
Melody
thou
shalt
have
hereafter
Then
was
he
led
out
of
the
house
and
carried
through
the
Town
,
pronouncing
a
Text
of
Scripture
as
he
went
.
Then
went
he
to
his
own
house
,
and
there
by
the
Spirit
was
thrown
down
,
and
forced
to
make
Circles
with
his
hands
,
the
Voice
telling
him
,
That
he
was
now
putting
off
the
Old
man
.
His
hand
also
was
forced
to
take
up
a
stone
which
lay
on
the
floor
,
which
he
thought
to
be
like
a
mans
heart
,
and
the
Voice
told
him
,
That
Christ
had
taken
that
stone
out
of
his
heart
,
and
given
him
an
heart
of
flesh
.
Then
was
he
cast
upon
his
back
to
the
ground
,
and
the
Voice
said
,
Thou
shalt
have
two
Angels
to
keep
thee
:
And
immediately
two
Swallows
came
down
the
Chimney
;
whereupon
he
cried
out
,
My
Angels
,
my
Angels
!
And
withal
he
held
out
his
hand
to
them
,
expecting
they
should
have
come
to
him
;
but
they
flew
up
the
chimny
again
,
though
the
door
and
windows
were
open
.
Then
was
he
carried
upon
his
hands
and
knees
out
of
the
doors
into
the
street
;
and
when
his
Wife
would
have
stopt
him
,
he
said
,
He
must
not
be
stopt
,
he
must
forsake
Wife
,
Children
and
all
,
to
follow
Christ
.
Thus
went
he
up
the
street
,
thinking
he
bore
a
Cross
upon
his
neck
,
till
some
pull'd
him
out
of
the
mire
and
dirt
,
and
by
force
carried
him
into
his
own
house
;
whereupon
pointing
at
one
of
them
,
he
said
,
Christ
points
at
thee
;
thou
art
a
wicked
woman
,
thou
hast
hindred
the
work
of
the
Lord
.
Thus
he
continued
until
the
evening
,
when
many
of
the
Quakers
coming
to
him
,
said
,
Be
lowly
minded
,
and
hearken
to
the
Voice
within
thee
.
And
so
they
left
him
,
his
strength
being
almost
quite
spent
with
his
restl●ssness
.
His
wife
and
Family
going
to
Bed
,
he
remained
alone
,
when
he
began
to
question
,
whither
these
strange
Actions
were
Divine
,
or
Diabolical
:
Whereupon
he
trembled
,
and
his
Hand
was
forced
to
take
up
a
Knife
,
which
lay
by
,
and
to
point
it
to
his
Throat
;
and
the
Voice
said
to
him
,
Open
a
hole
there
,
and
thou
shalt
have
Eternal
Life
.
But
he
threw
away
the
Knife
,
and
his
Wife
coming
to
him
,
at
her
perswasion
he
went
to
bed
;
and
all
the
Night
after
he
assured
himself
,
that
he
was
possessed
by
an
Evil
Spirit
.
And
in
the
Morning
he
roared
and
cryed
out
,
Now
the
Devil
is
gone
out
of
me
;
at
which
instant
he
and
his
Family
heard
it
thunder
,
though
no
others
heard
it
:
Hereupon
he
fell
into
Despair
for
a
time
,
thinking
that
every
thing
which
he
either
heard
or
saw
,
was
the
Devil
which
came
to
fetch
him
away
.
Sometimes
he
thougbt
that
he
should
be
taken
away
in
a
flame
of
Fire
,
other
sometimes
that
the
Earth
would
open
and
swallow
him
.
Yet
at
last
it
pleased
God
(
as
it
seems
)
to
give
him
Repentance
and
Peace
in
his
Conscience
;
and
did
desire
that
a
Narratiue
of
these
things
might
be
Published
,
to
discover
the
danger
of
the
Quakers
Meetings
,
and
to
be
a
Caution
to
others
,
to
take
heed
how
they
go
out
of
Gods
ways
,
and
forsake
his
Ordinances
,
lest
falling
into
the
Errour
of
the
wicked
,
they
decline
from
their
former
stedfastness
;
and
least
not
receiving
the
Love
of
the
Truth
,
that
●hey
might
be
saved
,
God
give
them
over
to
strong
Delu●●●●s
,
to
believe
a
Lye
.
FINIS
.